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The power of belief

Great podcast showing how lonely men were duped by another man’s pen-pal business. Even when they found and testified against this fraud, they were still convinced of their original belief and said he did more good than harm.

Jesse had been waiting his whole life to fall in love—and then he started getting these letters from the perfect woman, Pamala. She seemed vulnerable. In need of protection. A classic beauty. He was totally devoted. They corresponded for years. And when something happens that really should change how he feels about her— he just can’t give it up. NPR’s social science correspondent Shankar Vedantam reports the story.